Frivolity and Place Branding in Martínez Lázaro’s ‘Nationalist Comedies’

Abstract

This chapter puts forward the hypothesis that Martínez Lázaro’s nationalist comedies Ocho apellidos vascos/Spanish Affair (2014) and Ocho apellidos catalanes/Spanish Affair 2 (2015) draw together several of the most salient aspects of nation branding (Anholt, Places: Identity, Image and Reputation. New York: Palgrave, 2010). These include commodification of place, authentication of local stereotypes, promotion of communication strategies that privilege a tourist’s gaze, selective recycling of history, and the emergence of commercial nationalism. Ocho apellidos vascos, the biggest Spanish box office ‘hit’ of all time, was released in the wake of ETA’s historic ceasefire declaration. A year later, Ocho apellidos catalanes was released against the backdrop of an unprecedented pro-independence mobilisation in Catalonia. In a national context marked by a deep realignment of political agents in Catalonia on both sides of the independence debate, and by domestic decline in the popularity of Brand Spain, Ocho apellidos catalanes mobilises branding and ideological discourses. These sober discourses are present in the film in impactful ways that belie its seemingly innocuous reliance on clichés and stereotypes. This chapter explores the influence of these discourses on the films’ treatment of key ‘places’—specifically, Spain, Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Andalucia.